Feeding a Desert City: Antofagasta, Chile

Abstract

N recent years the arid regions of the earth have been subjected to increasing scrutiny, focusing largely on water problems. Water is not a serious concern, however, in Antofagasta, Chile, in the heart of the Atacama, perhaps the world's driest desert. The city, in fact, not only has an adequate supply of sweet water, but is also a seaport and enjoys special import privileges. It is thus relieved in varying degrees of the burdens of isolation, high costs, and insufficient water commonly borne by desert cities. Problems of food and nutrition are, therefore, revealed here more clearly than in most desert cities. Antofagasta suffers from severe shortages of high-quality foods; its diet is not only well below the recommended levels, but even below the national averages. This paper explores the nature of this problem and the steps being taken to solve it, and suggests additional actions which might be taken in the near future.